NOT IN THIS WORLD

In Stuart’s historical novel, a Black man in segregated Kentucky cares for the white daughter of the family for whom he works.

In the 1930s in the town of Horse Cave, Black residents live in the neighborhood of Kingdom, across the train tracks from white townspeople. Paul Carew, the son of Baptist preacher Elijah, spends his time with his neighbor and best friend, Moses Daniels, or helping his mother, Lily, cook, clean, and care for his younger siblings. Elijah is tough on Paul, berating his “delicate” gender expression, while Paul despises Elijah for not helping Lily with any of her work around the house. One day, while his family is participating in church-related events, Paul sneaks home to put on one of Lily’s dresses and her makeup. While he’s dancing alone, Elijah surprises him and becomes enraged, stripping Paul and beating him with his belt before Lily arrives home and intervenes. Paul’s life changes drastically when his cousin Lorene, who works for a wealthy white family, gets him a job alongside her to keep him away from Elijah’s anger. Sally and Walter Jackson hire him to cook with Lorene and work in Sally’s garden. When the Jacksons welcome a new granddaughter, Jane, Paul is given the responsibility to care for the child, sending the protagonist on an emotional journey that takes a turn during D-Day on June 6, 1944. Throughout Stuart’s novel, Paul effectively grapples with gender identity and with his unorthodox connections to whiteness and privilege through his position with the Jackson family. In author’s notes, Stuart, who is white, and Flower, a Black author, tell of how they came to co-write the story, and Stuart reveals that the novel offers a version of her own life, employing fictionalized aspects to tell the story from the main character’s distinct point of view. The authors imbue Paul’s voice with emotion and grace, crafting a moving story of a courageous person in a difficult time.

A deeply emotional historical novel tackling race and queerness in early-20th-century America.